Shortage of doctors hits Mat North

Prosper Ndlovu Senior Reporter
MATABELELAND North province is struggling to attract medical doctors and specialists despite provision of incentives by the Government.
Matabeleland North provincial medical director Dr Nyasha Masuka on Thursday said the shortage of medical doctors and specialists was worrying.
“We continue to have a challenge of attracting qualified medical doctors in the province. This is a very big challenge when it comes to providing services to communities,” said Dr Masuka who was presenting a report on the health service delivery before members of the provincial development committee in Bulawayo.

“When the Health Transition Fund (HTF) was set up it proposed to pay $1 500 per doctor a month but we still cannot attract doctors like other provinces. For instance we only have 15 doctors as a province compared to 64 in Mashonaland East.

“When we managed to attract four doctors Mashonaland East got 45 and we wonder why the dynamics are like that. I suppose the situation is the same with Matabeland South. Perhaps we need to come up with more incentives as Matabeleland.”
He, however, could not disclose the number of doctors and specialists needed in the province.

Dr Masuka said some doctors who had initially agreed to work in the province had since deserted the province’s hospitals, saying the institutions lacked facilities that allow them to conduct surgical operations.

He said Umguza District for instance did not have a doctor adding that the province has one qualified laboratory scientist and pharmacist.
In their contributions stakeholders attributed the shortage of doctors to the low intake of medical students from Matabeleland region by medical schools.

They said there was a need to boost the teaching of science subjects in schools to ensure that more pupils enroll for specialist fields at tertiary education level.

The stakeholders urged Government to increase financing of health services, which they said has been dominated by donor funding.
Dr Masuka also reported that the province had recruited 75 nurses following the unfreezing of posts recently.